Control stick touches lower instrument panel

Is this a problem? If so, is it a rigging issue or does the control stick need to be bent or otherwise modified? I cut the straight top part as short as possible but with the grips on it can still touch the panel.

There's a fair number of us that bent the stick just a bit more.

Stick

It's a common RV-10 issue, especially when large stick grips are used and the area directly in front of the stick are populated with switches on the lower panel. You must be able to get full stick movement including moving sticks to control stops. Note that all controls must be hooked up in order to determine this.

Many modifications and solutions are documented on VAF. A quick search should help you find them all.

You can remove some off the bottom, which will move the stick closer to you and give you more panel clearance. I did this.

You can remove a bit off the top. I did this too, but still would like the grip to be about an inch lower for my personal taste.

You can compress the bend more if you or a friend have the appropriate tools.

rleffler said:

You can compress the bend more if you or a friend have the appropriate tools.

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I'm going through this issue myself at the moment. It's frustrating.

Could I find someone with a tubing bender and compress these a little without buckling the tubing? I've seen sticks that look like they were heated up, bent, and buckled. I'd rather stay away from that.

I've also seen pictures of Scott Schmidt's sticks where he added an extension tube to extend the stick aft, shown in the following link. Looks nice, but I wonder if that would uncomfortably move the stick too far aft. However, a possible remedy for that would be to also set the rudder pedals at the aft position and slide the seat back a few inches.... http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=70954&page=2

You can only check the travel with all the control surfaces attached. In addition, you may want to install an elevator stop to limit the travel of the elevator. Without the stop, the elevator will travel more than required by Vans specifications. I have the aerosport panel, which extends the panel down and also toward the rear a slight amount. In order to obtain the proper clearance wrt the stick, I removed approximately an inch off of the bottom of the the stick. I also removed as much as I could off or the top. I wanted the grip to sit in a position between my legs where I could support my arm on my leg. The only way to determine this is to have the seat installed. IMHO moving the stick back and the rudder pedals back is a more comfortable position.

bob888 said:

Is this a problem? If so, is it a rigging issue or does the control stick need to be bent or otherwise modified? I cut the straight top part as short as possible but with the grips on it can still touch the panel.

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Since nobody has explicitly stated it: Yes, this is a problem.

The root cause is that the sticks are sized to use "bicycle grip" sized grips, not the "Infinity" (and other) grips with the buttons on the top, which add height. If you make the grip taller, you need to make the stick shorter, modify the stick to move the grip aft, or shorten the panel to increase the clearance.

Bending sticks

I trimmed both sticks and there still wasn't enough clearance. A mechanical engineer friend fabricated a plywood dye and we bent the sticks using clamps. Nothing fancy required and it worked great. I still have the dye someplace around the hangar. Let me know if you want pics.

Cheers,
Jay

I was concerned about buckling the stick when bending also, was told to pack the stick with sand which worked well. It does take quite a force even with hydraulic press while filled with sand but I was able to keep the stick from hitting the Aerosport panel and console. Did cut 1 inch from top also.

Mine Hits..

Mine hits.. I was OK with it. Just a tad short of the elevator stop in the tail of the plane. I am not seeing anybody saying it is OK.. Must I change.

JackinMichigan said:

Mine hits.. I was OK with it. Just a tad short of the elevator stop in the tail of the plane. I am not seeing anybody saying it is OK.. Must I change.

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Never good to hit. Note that you have some leeway in elevator linkage adjustments to not have the stick go that far forward, but still have enough room for the stick to go full aft.

Carl

Jack,

Yes, you need to fix it! It is NOT OK.
Nothing should interfere with the controls going to their intended stops.

How About Shortening the Push Rod

I have adequate clearance in the full rear stick (up elevator).

I made all my push-rods to the exact dimensions called out on the directions. Why couldn't I shorten the rearmost push rod. Should have no effect on the pitch servo geometry which is forward of that. I shouldn't have to shorten it much.

Jack